• Lofoten Senja Road Trip October 2017

AUTUMN PHOTOGRAPHY ROAD TRIP

LOFOTEN – SENJA – TROMSØ

OCTOBER 5 – 10, 2016

This tour is formed from my idea of a road trip adventure – from Lofoten to Senja to Tromsø. No hotel reservations, flexible schedule, and the opportunity to sleep where the light is best – why not shoot northern lights on the beach a one minute walk from where you’re sleeping? We will take to the road in converted camper vans from Arctic Campers as we slowly make our journey north from island to island through the autumn landscape of northern Norway.

Of course there will be a list of highlights to visit along the way as we keep track of the weather and conditions to put ourselves in the best place at the best time. We will spend our first days exploring the scenic beaches and mountain views on Lofoten – maybe we’ll watch sunset from Mannen, before heading to Storsandnes beach to sit around a driftwood campfire as we await the appearance of northern lights. From Lofoten, we will head north to the wilds of Senja, Norway’s second largest island. More beaches and more mountains, our opportunities are endless. Finally, we will make our way to Tromsø, where the journey comes to an end, hopefully with minds and memory cards full of images.

This tour is a combination road trip and photography workshop, with an emphasis on exploration. As this is my first offering of this kind of trip, I have kept the prices as close to cost as possible to create affordable adventures in the north.

The workshop’s guiding and instruction will be provided by Cody Duncan.

For booking or questions:

workshops@codyduncan.com

WORKSHOP DETAILS AND ARRIVAL

Group size: 4 participants in 2 camper vans + guides

The workshop will officially begin in Leknes at 12:00 on Wednesday, October 5 and end in Tromsø at 12:00 on Monday, October 10. Please schedule your arrival/departures as close as possible to these times.

Pickup will be available at Leknes airport and in the city center. Drop off will be at Tromsø airport.

Accommodation: Our Arctic Camper vans will be our accommodation for the duration of this trip. Each van includes a bed for 2, heated sleeping compartment, camp kitchen, wifi, plenty of storage for gear and clothing. For more information, visit: Arctic Campers

Driving: This is a guided self-drive tour. At least 1 person in each van will need a valid driving license.

Van Hire: The cost of the van hire is paid for via the workshop price. However, the van hire contract will be between the individual driver(s) and Arctic Campers. A valid credit card will be needed for insurance and liability.

Physical Ability: Moderate physical ability is suggested for this tour. While it is not a hiking tour, we do plan for some hikes, however, participation is not mandatory.

Getting to Lofoten: From within Europe, SAS airlines offers travel to Lofoten from a multitude of destinations. From North America, Norwegian airlines offers good value flights to Norway from the west and east coasts, however flights to Lofoten will have to be booked via SAS/Widerøe airlines. For more travel information, see: Getting to Lofoten

Leaving Tromsø: Direct flights to Oslo are available with SAS and Norwegian airlines.

PRICING AND BOOKING

Workshop price: € 795 pp double van occupancy / € 1590 pp single van occupancy

Deposit: € 400

The deposit is required to reserve your place on the workshop. Deposit is non refundable. Full payment is due 60 days before workshop.

Payments will be made by bank transfer.

Please note: Before booking any travel to Lofoten, make sure you have paid your deposit for the trip.

For booking or questions, contact:

workshops@codyduncan.com

ITINERARY

This workshop is a guided self-drive adventure from Lofoten to Tromsø, with a visit to Senja along the way. As each person/couple will be in control of their own camper van, we are not forced into a strict itinerary of where to go or stay. If you want to relax and have a bbq at the beach, while others go hiking, this is perfectly fine. We will simply plan a meeting point at some time later in the day before finding our camping location for the evening; ideally some place to sit around a campfire and wait for the northern lights to appear.

Having homes on wheels, we are completely flexible on where we go and for how long. The only places we need to be are in Leknes at the start and Tromsø at the finish. Paying close attention to the weather, we will attempt to always be where the conditions are best. That being said, we will still try and follow the following itinerary if possible.

Days 1 – 2

Arrival on Lofoten: Wednesday, October 5. You will be picked up upon your arrival in Leknes and taken to the office of Arctic Campers to pick up your van.

We will spend our first 2 nights of the trip exploring Lofoten. With sunset occurring around 18:00 (plus another hour of twilight) we will have plenty of time to head into the mountains, or perhaps a visit to the stunning Kvalvika beach. As evening comes, we will find our camping spot someplace scenic and hopefully begin the wait for northern lights if the weather is cooperative. Meanwhile, we can try and enjoy a campfire as we wait.

Days 3 – 4

On the 3rd day we will depart Lofoten and make the 6-8 hour drive north to Senja. Senja is a wonder in itself, a more wild and rugged version of Lofoten. We may choose to head north to enjoy the scenic beach at Ersfjord or a hike to Segla from Fjordgård. Or, we can first explore the winding mountain roads of Ånderdalen national park, with wild, flowing rivers and scenic lakes.

Day 5

After 2 nights on Senja, we will begin the journey towards Tromsø. Perhaps we will make a detour to the Lyngen Alps, or maybe we will continue north to the scenic Kvaløya, with plenty of good places to park the vans for the night. Again, we will have the freedom to follow the best conditions and light.

Day 6

Departure from Tromsø: Monday, October 10

The tour will officially end at 12:00 noon as we drop off the campers in Tromsø. We will aim to be near town by around 11:00am or so, should anyone have a morning departure. However, earlier flights can be accommodated with the staff at Arctic Campers meeting you at the airport.

WORKSHOP PRICE INCLUDES

Accommodation – Arctic Camper van: Volkswagen Caddy with camper conversion. Bed sleeps 2 and comes with all bedding. Sleeping compartment is heated.
For more details about the camper van, visit: Arctic Campers

Airport pickup/drop-off in Leknes and Tromsø.

Professional photography and location guiding by Cody Duncan.

Complimentary downloads of Cody’s Lofoten eBooks prior to the trip.

NOT INCLUDED

Air travel to and from Leknes or Tromsø.

Meals: Each camper has its own camping kitchen, we can cook meals as a group, our eat individually.

Insurance: travel insurance is mandatory for this trip. Tour guides and trip organizers will use their best knowledge to keep all participants safe, but will not be held responsible for any personal or equipment injury which might occur. Insurance needs to cover any emergency medical treatment and transport, related to the tour or not, which may occur.

Alcoholic drinks.

Anything else not mentioned as Included.

WHAT TO BRING

Photography Gear

You will need a camera bag which is suitable for mountain hiking. This means it should not be overly heavy, while having enough room to carry your camera gear, extra clothing and some food/water.

Camera – Any camera welcome, but a full frame DSLR or mirrorless camera with manual mode will give you the best performance.
Tripod – A light tripod that you are able to take hiking is preferred.
Lenses – A selection of lenses from 14 to 200mm is recommended.
Filters – This is somewhat to shooting style, but I heavily recommend a set of neutral density filters, covering: 3, 6, and 10 stops.
Cable Release – Cable or remote camera release, preferably with ability to lock in bulb mode for long exposures.
Camera Cover – It is likely we will encounter some adverse weather on Lofoten, so you want to be able to cover your camera and keep shooting.
Lens cleaning – Some locations can be exposed to sea spray. I recommend a combination of pre-moistened disposable lens wipes (Zeiss and Nikon make some) and dry cleaning tissues. I find microfiber cloths don’t handle the maritime conditions and quickly become unusable.
Storage – Bring plenty of memory cards to last for multiple days of shooting.
Batteries – Bring enough batteries to last for several days of shooting.

Clothing

The focus of this workshop is to explore Lofoten’s scenic and wild mountains and valleys. While I will do my best to avoid as much bad weather as possible, we will likely end up with rain at some point.

This means you will need to be fully waterproof (upper and lower) as well as having enough insulation to handle potentially cool, damp conditions and wind.

Proper hiking footwear prepared for muddy trails is also a requirement for this trip, as we will be spending much of our time away from the road. In addition to good shoes, you will want to have extra socks on hand in case your feet do get wet. I would suggest having 2 pairs per day.

For a detailed clothing list, see my article: What to Wear

Lofoten Summer Hiking Clothing

ABOUT CODY

Cody Duncan is one of the most experienced photographers living and working on Lofoten today. Since first visiting the Islands as a young backpacker in 2001, he traveled to Lofoten more than 20 times before deciding it was finally time to move there in the winter of 2016.

In 2010 he created the website 68 North to showcase his ever growing Lofoten portfolio which has now become one of the best photography and travel resources available today. In 2015 Cody published the first two photography guides focused on the unique seasonal nature of the Islands, drawing upon his years of experience exploring hidden corners and lonely mountain tops across Lofoten.

Cody was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California. Spending many of his early years surfing the cold waters of the Pacific, just down the road from his childhood home. His early 20’s saw him turn his focus to the mountains, soloing numerous 4000+ meter peaks in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. As his photography career developed, he soon found himself spending more time in the wild landscapes and turbulent weather of northern Europe. Cody’s images have been published by: Visit Norway, National Geographic, Men’s Journal, Sunset Magazine, Lonely Planet Magazine, GEO Saison, British Airways High Life, and numerous calendars, travel guides, and more.

Cody now lives on Lofoten.

FINE PRINT

Travel insurance is mandatory. Some providers are: World Nomads, ADAC, Allianz, Medjetassist

Travel insurance needs to cover any medical emergencies or accidents before, during and in transit to the workshop. Any situation which would require you to cancel the tour before or during the trip. Any loss or damage to your luggage or photography equipment.

Deposit is non-refundable.

Any cancelations will be fully refunded (minus deposit) up to 90 days before tour. After that, no refunds are available.

Tour itinerary is subject to change due to any potentially unforeseen circumstances, such as weather cancelations, etc.

If tour itself is cancelled by the operator, then full refunds (including deposit) will be given to all participants.

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